PERSPECTIVE LOST ON LAW AND ORDER

Sir: Re: Headline, "Search goes to Supreme Court" (The Observer, May 22, 2007)

It is appalling and almost unbelievable to read that we are spending
any taxpayers' dollars in our court system to determine if our law
enforcement officers infringed on the rights of an alleged
drug-possessing criminal in one of our local schools. To think that we
would allow the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, an alleged
criminal and their lawyers to use the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
as a shield for contravention of the law that protects Canadians from
criminals is evidence that we have lost all perspective regarding law
and order. Why should we protect someone who allegedly takes drugs
into our schools?

I guess this means that the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
encourages criminals to take drugs or other illegal items into our
schools. What a great service they are providing to our children and
society. They should be ashamed of themselves.

We have laws in this country and law-abiding citizens deserve and pay
for our law enforcement officers to protect our public places from
such criminals. If our courts do not uphold the rights of our law
enforcement officers to keep our schools and other public places free
of drugs, then it will be alright for criminals to take guns into our
schools as well.

We need to call upon our lawmakers in Ottawa to take a stand for the
rights of citizens who respect the law and to stand behind our police
officers and customs officers who take the initiative to find drugs
and guns and other contraband before people get hurt by them. The laws
in this country, including the Charter, should not be distorted to the
point that law enforcement officers are rendered incapable of
enforcing the law (precisely their job!) in our public places. This is
not about "police power;" it's about upholding the law to protect
society from criminals.

Stephen Marsh,

Sarnia